Staff writer NAGANO -- Does this country really need more dams?

That's the focus of a debate that has boiled up in Nagano Prefecture, which questions the central government's long-held policy of pumping massive amounts of public money into dam projects.

The popular Nagano Gov. Yasuo Tanaka touched off the commotion Feb. 20 when he declared the prefecture needs no more dams. Tanaka has been keen on the issue since his inauguration in October, inspecting sites of controversial dam projects in Nagano.